ON FRIDAY, A NEW ERA OF MAINE HOCKEY WILL OFFICIALLY BEGIN WHEN RED GENDRON STEPS BEHIND THE BENCH TO COACH HIS FIRST GAME FOR THE BLACKBEARS. GENDRON REPLACES TIM WHITEHEAD, WHO OF COURSE REPLACED THE LEGENDARY SHAWN WALSH. IN FINDING A WHITEHEADS REPLACEMENT, THERE WAS A STRONG SENTIMENT IN THE HOCKEY COMMUNITY TO FIND A COACH WITH TIES TO THE WALSH ERA, AND THEY HAVE ONE IN GENDRON, WHO WAS ONE OF WALSH'S ASSISTANTS. RED GENDRON HAD A FRONT ROW SEAT FOR SHAWN WALSH AT HIS BEST...GENDRON WAS AN ASSISTANT COACH ON THE '93 NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP TEAM, HE HOPES HE CAN BRING THE NEXT TITLE TO ORONO. 'shawn was a master of organization, master of promotion, master of intensity, I learned many of those things from him, GENDRON LEARNED SO MUCH FROM WALSH, BUT HE FIRST FACED REJECTION WHEN HE INTERVIEWED FOR A JOB WITH THE BLACK BEARS. Shawn sent me back a 3 page letter saying he had a huge recruiting class coming in, and even though he thought I had an excellent shot to be a good recruiter, he needed an experienced recruiter one day he needed an experience person, and he ended the letter saying that if Bruce Crowder had ever left, he'd consider you for his position, because it wasn't for the #1 position, so low and behold a year later I got a call from Shawn asking me to come to the University of Maine 'the best thing about Shawn, he didn't hire his friends, he fired the best available to help his friends, he fired the best available to help him, help his players, what is what we all want to achieve, which is win a national championship. AND BLACKBEAR FANS ARE HOPING GENDRON CAN LEAD THEM BACK INTO THE PROMINENCE OF THE WALSH ERA.